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Smoke without fire!


Richard-R

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Very simply, they are not allowed to. I think it's to do with protecting the Tabacs, plus the price of cigarettes and tobacco is fixed in France, no price cutting.

Also, I believe you have to be French to sell cigs and tabac as tax revenue is collected on the sale.

Chris.

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Why are tobacs and chemists. , a protected species and not bread/cakefruit and veg shops. I know there is a law protecting certain small businesses, tabacs. Boul/Pat's etc. They get there rent and property tax fixed so that that they keep the stores in areas with very high rents.

Would it not be againt Euro law to only let French nationals own tabacs?

All very odd, you cannot buy cigs or paracetamol in Champion but you can buy beer/wine in a motorway services.
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[quote user="chris pp"]

Very simply, they are not allowed to. I think

it's to do with protecting the Tabacs, plus the price of cigarettes and

tobacco is fixed in France, no price cutting.

Also, I believe you have to be French to sell cigs and tabac as tax revenue is collected on the sale.

Chris.

[/quote]

We knew an English chap with a tabac, the Grandmother was French, don't know if that helped ! but he had to prove a fair fluency

in French to do the course needed for the tabac etc. Also knew an

Irishman with a PMU bar, he knew my wallet very well as well !

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but a couple of years ago didn't the government put up the taxes on cigarettes, and the tabacs protested (complaining of reduced sales as a result of the price hike) so the government paid all the tabacs a lump sum payment to compensate.  The idea behind the hike was to help pay the national health debt.
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I seem to remember but I am not totally sure that running tabacs, railway crossings and lock gates was reserved for veterans of WW1 for a long time. Probably a loyal grateful workforce who could be relied on either to collect taxes or to do the other jobs.
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I seem to remember but I am not totally sure that running tabacs, railway crossings and lock gates was reserved for veterans of WW1 for a long time.

Well there wouldn't be too many of the WW1 veterans around these days. Do they still have special seats on French public transport that are reserved for those with war injuries?

Back to Tabacs: our village shop / bar has a tabac license and people do seem to come from miles around to stock up on the "fags".

I was told that during the drought last year that farmers were allowed to water the tabacco because the government gets a huge chunk of the profits but farmers were not  allowed to water their maize or other crops. I am not sure how true this was.

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[quote user="Miki"][quote user="chris pp"]

Very simply, they are not allowed to. I think

it's to do with protecting the Tabacs, plus the price of cigarettes and

tobacco is fixed in France, no price cutting.

Also, I believe you have to be French to sell cigs and tabac as tax revenue is collected on the sale.

Chris.

[/quote]

We knew an English chap with a tabac, the Grandmother was French, don't know if that helped ! but he had to prove a fair fluency

in French to do the course needed for the tabac etc. Also knew an

Irishman with a PMU bar, he knew my wallet very well as well !

[/quote]

One needs to do a course??? On what? How to give change? The correct

way to insert  a fag? How to stike a match without becoming a

human torch? I am intrigued.

I gave up about 6 years ago and still sometimes feel like something is missing. Wretched stuff.

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Here is a cute little song that your children will probably learn at school. I know it must be very hard for smokers to give up so well done so far RDKR. 

J'ai du bon tabac
Dans ma tabatière,
J'ai du bon tabac
Tu n'en auras pas.
J'en ai du fin et du râpé
Ce n'est pas pour ton vilain nez,
J'ai du bon tabac
Dans ma tabatière,
J'ai du bon tabac
Tu n'en auras pas!

Ce refrain connu que chantait mon père
A ce seul couplet s'est longtemps borné
Moi je me suis déterminé
A l'allonger comm' mon vilain nez
etc...

Avoir un tel ne n'est pas ordinaire
Aussi tout le monde en est étonné
Je laisse dire et ricaner
Car depuis que je suis né
etc...

Si j'ai constamment si bon caractère
C'est encore mon nez qui me l'a donné
Il est toujours si bien tourné
Jamais bouché, ni jamais fermé,
etc...

Grâce à mon beau nez, je sais me soustraire
A tous les fâcheux qui veulent me berner
Pour n'être pas importuné
Je leur chante comme un forcené
etc...

Au concours de nez de l'année dernière
C'est l'mien haut la main qui fut couronné
 A ceux qui voulaient me maronner
Je disais en leur riant au nez
etc...

Voilà sept couplets, au fond ce n'est guère
Pour un tel sujet bien assaisonné
Forcément, l'on est amené
A se redire en parlant du nez !
etc...

 

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But you live her jond, surely you know that a course is required to

even do a course and without said course, you are of course, totally

b******ed !

This course, if I remember rightly and you will see where the fluency

comes in as the old hand signals really won't do !, is about

understanding TVA, tabac duties, French or foreign, douanes and

obligations, keeping tabac away from foods (many simply put a glass

screen across, not correct ! some don't bother, some get caught, some

don't, and lots, lots more, well  it is apparently tightly controlled by

them above, so say no more. Now the borders are barely manned in the

way they once were, thousands of douanes folks are running around with

little else to do, than badger the tabacs.[:)]

Mind you, having a baccy shop can bring in the Euros, especially with the other wotsits one sells in the shop.

Just like many PMU's do, I always have a drink or two, whilst throwing

my money down the same eventual outlet................[:'(]

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  • 2 weeks later...

In my (U.K.) supermarket yesterday the girl in front of me paid £5.46 for two items which were......................... a packet of crisps and a packet of cigarettes, I had no idea that cigarettes cost around a fiver a packet!

I paid £7.00 for chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, tin of organic beans and a few other things and had enough in my basket for a couple of evening meals and a lunch as well. I can't understand how people can afford to smoke these days.

 

Well done to all who have managed to give up the fags.

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